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The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (3-0) take on their one and only FCS opponent of the year on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., South Dakota (2-1). The Coyotes, though an FCS squad, are a formidable team within their conference, the Great West. Although not nearly as talented as Wisconsin, as any college football fan knows, no team can take their opponent lightly. We don’t need any repeats of Appalachian State…

Here’s a quick scouting report on the Coyotes.

Offense

Quarterback:

Although their two wins—Eastern Washington and Northwestern Oklahoma State—were against a fellow FCS opponent and an NAIA foe, South Dakota has put up some points this year. They’re ranked No. 20 in the latest FCS polls and can be explosive.

Their quarterback, Dante Warren, is a dual threat. This year, he’s 34-of-60 passing for 488 yards and five touchdowns. However, he has also thrown four interceptions. The Badgers could take advantage of his inconsistency.

However, he has made up for his erratic passing with his legs. On the ground, he’s gained 185 yards on 36 carries and has scored two touchdowns.

But, if Wisconsin can pressure him like they did Chandler Harnish last week, any hope of a Coyote upset will vanish.

Running Backs:

South Dakota uses two running backs pretty heavily. Their top running back, Chris Ganious, leads the team with 187 yards on 36 carries and a touchdown.

However, the Coyotes also employ another running back, Marcus Sims. Sims has 172 yards on just 21 carries. He’s averaging over eight yards a carry and could be South Dakota’s most dangerous threat.

Similar to what the Badgers did last weekend, if they can shut down the Coyote rushing attack, it will make it much more difficult for Warren to beat them through the air.Wide Receivers:

Through three weeks, the Coyotes have showed a number of receivers capable of making big plays.

First and foremost is Will Powell. On the year, he’s got 12 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a threat downfield and can definitely make plays if given the chance.

Two other receivers, Jeremy Blount and Dustin Nowotny, both have eight receptions and could also hurt the Badgers. Along with Powell, Blount is another player Wisconsin will have to keep an eye on, as he is averaging over 21 yards a catch and leads the team with three touchdowns.

Offensive Line:

Through three weeks, the Coyote offensive line’s performance has been a little mixed.

They’ve paved the way for over 209 rushing yards per game and five touchdowns on the ground. That is their strength.

On the other end—pass blocking—they’ve struggled. Opposing defenses have already recorded 10 sacks and Warren hasn’t had a ton of time in the pocket.

Wisconsin should look to take advantage of that.

Defense

Defensive Line:

Probably the strongest defensive unit for South Dakota, the defensive line may be the only facet of the Coyote defense that could challenge the Wisconsin offense.

Although opponents are averaging over 176 yards on the ground, the D-line has been getting great pressure on opposing QBs. They already have 10 sacks, led by defensive end Tyler Starr, who has five.

Linebackers:

This unit, though they’ll probably be successful for the rest of the season, may struggle against Wisconsin.

Along with the defensive line, they’ve contributed to the high rushing totals for opponents and also are partly responsible for some gaudy passing numbers as well.

Against an offense with running backs quicker, faster and stronger than them and tight ends with the same capabilities, they could be a unit Wisconsin picks on.

Defensive Backs:

Although this unit is giving up over 224 yards through the air and has already allowed four touchdowns, they’ve also recorded five interceptions.

Jim Thompson, their senior defensive back from Hayward, Wis., leads the team with two interceptions and may not be the best guy to pick on.

But, let’s be honest, Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis should be able to find their share of open space on Saturday.

Special Teams

Kicker:

On the year, placekicker Kevin Robb has been stellar, making all five of his field goal attempts and averaging around 59 yards on his kickoffs.

Punter:

Cole Zwiefelhofer, from Chippewa Falls, Wis., has handled the punting duties for South Dakota this season and has been outstanding. He’s averaging 42.2 yards on 13 punts and has already pinned five inside the 20-yard line.

Kick Return:

The Coyotes have used three men on kick returns this year, though receiver Jeremy Blount has received the majority of them. On six returns, he’s averaging 20.8 yards and has a long of 39.

Punt Return:

Blount also handles the punt return duties and has actually been pretty dangerous so far. He’s averaging 15.6 yards on five returns and has a long of 24. Wisconsin cannot afford to let up when he has the ball.

Admittedly, the Wisconsin Badgers did not face the greatest defense on Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Prior to their game with the Badgers, Northern Illinois had given up 26 points to Army and 45 points to Kansas. We all expected Wisconsin would have their way with the Huskies. And well, they did. Here are offensive grades.

Quarterback:

Apart from his interception in the third quarter, Russell Wilson was once again extraordinary. He finished the day 23-of-32 passing for 347 yards and three touchdowns, while also making plays with his feet, tacking on 37 yards on the ground. Working primarily from the spread during the first half, Wilson absolutely picked apart an over-matched Husky defense, as he led Wisconsin to 42 points.

Even Wilson’s back-up, Joe Brennan, played well, scoring a rushing touchdown late in the game.

Not a whole lot to complain about here.

Grade: A-

Running Backs:

As expected, Wisconsin ran all over an undersized Husky defensive line. On the day, the Badgers rushed for 266 yards as team, with Montee Ball and James White each running for 91 yards apiece. Ball scored two touchdowns, while White notched his first of the year. Melvin Gordon and Jeffrey Lewis also got in the game, running for 28 and 21 yards, respectively. Just another solid day for the Wisconsin rushing attack.

Grade: A

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:

As good as the running backs looked, Wisconsin’s receivers may have been even better. They seemed completely in sync with Wilson and tore up the Husky secondary. Jared Abbrederis led the team with six receptions for 83 yards, while Nick Toon had another good game, hauling in five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Jacob Pederson had only two catches, but he made them count. One went for 55 yards and the other was for a touchdown. He’s quietly emerging as one of the best tight ends in the country. Fullback Brady Ewing also caught four passes out of the backfield for 35 yards, while White and Ball also added a few receptions apiece.

Grade: A

Offensive Line:

It was pure domination. Plain and simple. The running lanes were huge, the pass protection was unyielding.

The Badgers will have their hands full with Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish on Saturday.

As the Wisconsin Badgers take on their neighbors to the south at Soldier Field (italics for added effect), they’ll face a very unique challenge. Former UW defensive coordinator Dave Doeren is Northern Illinois’ head coach. And he knows this team intimately. Like ‘first-name basis’ intimate. He knows the team’s strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand. Yes, Bret Bielema changed the defensive and offensive signals, but Doeren still knows this team.

But, all that being said, the Badgers are still a much better team than the Huskies. Northern Illinois has struggled immensely on defense this year, giving up 45 points to projected Big 12 cellar-dweller Kansas last Saturday, and will be Continue reading →

Side note: If you’re looking for this game on TV, don’t bother. For the first time in five years, Wisconsin football will not be on live television. Log on to ESPN3.com to stream the game online. Hopefully you have an internet provider that has free access to this feature.

Offense

Quarterback:

As senior quarterback Chandler Harnish goes, the NIU offense goes. And so far this season, it’s been going pretty well. Already this year, Harnish is 39-of-52 passing for 510 yards and seven touchdowns with just one interception. Oh, he’s Continue reading →

Paul Chryst got a new toy this year. And Big Ten defenses beware: somewhere, right now, he’s salivating as he figures out how to use it.

Arguably Bret Bielema’s biggest win in the offseason was keeping Chryst, the Badgers’ offensive coordinator, out of Austin, Texas and in Madison. And after a quick glance at the Longhorn’s depth chart compared to Wisconsin’s returning offensive talent, I think Chryst may have a little more fun in the Badger State, this year.

And that brings us to Bielema offseason win #2: Russell Wilson.

Wilson comes to Madtown with a decorated ACC resume. And despite the fact that most Big Ten fans like to look down on “basketball conferences” like the ACC, Wilson’s gaudy stats speak for themselves. This kid can play. Just check out this video and see for yourself.

I hope the thought of that, but with a Motion W on the helmet, gave you chills.

Now, it remains to be seen IF Russell Wilson can bring that level of play to Camp Randall and it’ll be very interesting to see how quickly Wilson can adjust to smash-mouth Big Ten football. What’s obvious, though, is that Wilson possesses a skill-set that hasn’t been seen under center in Madison for a long, long time.

If Wilson adjusts to and thrives under Wisconsin’s offense, Chryst continues to schematically create nightmares for opposing defenses, White and Ball shred defenses, Nick Toon plays like we all know he can, and Borland sparks a very good Badger defense, we could be looking at another special year in the Badger Nation. I know those are a lot of ifs, but the truth is, those things are far from being unrealistic.

With the buzz created from the 2010 campaign, and more recently, with the addition of Russell Wilson, Wisco has been getting a lot of love from the so-called “experts.” But I’m going to go a little bit farther. I’m going to say that the hype that has been generated this offseason is part of something bigger, something on a broader scale. I think the nation is ready to see Wisconsin replace OSU as the Big Ten’s top player in the college football landscape.

Uff-da. That can’t settle well with tOSU faithful. But with Wisco’s recent success and the widely publicized happenings in Columbus, it’s hard to argue against.

Who has the most prime-time televised games in the Big Ten this year? Wisconsin.

Who are most pundits picking to win the Leaders Division? Wisconsin.

Who are a lot of people predicting to take the Big Ten’s first championship game? Wisconsin.

Who beat out the defending national champion and, dare I say it, an SEC team, for Russell Wilson? Again, Wisconsin.

I’m not saying that the Badgers will waltz into the Big Ten Championship game unscathed and leave with their tickets punched for Pasadena, but I am saying that the retention of Paul Chryst, the signing of Russell Wilson, and the growing perception of Wisconsin football definitely has the Badgers moving in the right direction as a Big Ten powerhouse.